Liverpool look to keep their Champions League winning run going

Anfield hosts another European night on Tuesday. Liverpool and Villarreal meet at 22:00 Bulgarian time, in a match refereed by Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, assisted by his compatriots Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik.

Andoni Iraola’s side have made a flawless start to their European campaign: a 2-1 home win over Atlético Madrid and a spectacular 6-3 victory away at LASK. With six points, Liverpool sit fifth. Domestic form has been less consistent. After a painful 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City, the Reds bounced back with a 2-1 comeback win at Brentford.

Villarreal lost 3-2 in Dortmund on matchday one but responded with a convincing 3-1 win over Napoli. Iñigo Pérez’s men have three points in Europe, but in La Liga they are only 12th after a 0-0 draw with Elche and a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid.

The head-to-head record favors the English side, with three wins in four European meetings. The most recent tie came in the 2022 Champions League semi-finals (2-0 and 3-2 to Liverpool), while the Spaniards’ only win dates back to the 2016 Europa League semi-final. At Anfield, Liverpool have won every time without conceding.